Australia are playing this as a practice match, they are experimenting ahead of World Cup: Shreyas Iyer

Right after sealing the ODI series against Australia, India batter Shreyas Iyer stated that the visiting team are experimenting with a lot of things in the middle and hence, are not focusing a lot on the result. He added that ahead of the ODI World Cup, which is slated to begin on October 5, they are treating the series against India as an opportunity to practice certain combinations.

Notably, Australia have been below par in both the ODI matches so far. Skipper Pat Cummins took a break in the second ODI, while Mitchell Starc is yet to make his return to the playing XI. Iyer believes that despite so many absentees, Australia can’t be taken lightly as they play a challenging brand of cricket. He added that the team is planning pretty well to give their best during the World Cup.

“We know how the Australian team is. The way they plan their stuff, I am sure they are playing this as a practice match and they want to build momentum going forward to the World Cup, so they are experimenting. Also, they are giving chances to a lot of players so that they get a fair chance to see how the conditions are in India.

“At the same time, they play challenging cricket, so I am sure they would be planning pretty well in the future matches against India and also when I come into bat. So, I am never going to take them lightly as a team. They can hurt you at times. It’s always fantastic to play with them because they are highly motivated as a team and they lift up the atmosphere around,” Iyer said in the post-match press conference.

Meanwhile, Iyer hit a cracking century in the second ODI of the series. His 200-run partnership with Shubman Gill helped India establish their authority with the bat. Later on, Suryakumar Yadav played a sensational knock of 72* runs off 37 deliveries, which helped India post 399 runs on board. With the ball, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja picked up three wickets each as India won the match by 99 runs (DLS method).